Shock absorber



Jan 6, 1931. c. J. NASH 1,787,588

SHOCK ABSORBER Filed cm. 51, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan 6, 1931. i c. J. NASH SHOCK ABSORBER Filed Oct. s1, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 6, 1931 omen OFFICE- CHARLES niisn, or crr-IeAeo; irimnois, nssrenon TO 'onrvnnsnn DRAFT nrrncn-ivmnrcogn c onroan'rron or InL NoIs GEAR sHocK ABsonBnn I Application-filed manager, 1927. Seria1No.229,890.'

v This invention relates to shock a'bstn-bersi for railway cars and t he like.

. One of the objects of th nvention is provision of'ne'wand improved means tor 5- tri iona ly resisting he r l iy mo men s of two members by compre sion-z A other bj of thej -nven loni'ls.

the pro Vision of acoinbine'd spring and frictionelement f rming a complete unitltliatis. d p -j d tebe subst tutedtor comp ession sp in in variou r lational; 1

A furth rob'ectof the invention is, he provision of new and improved shock absorbing" m c an m, hat, W111. pro ide an in tia resi r .en is an e to th compression f Sa mechanismand a combined resilient and fric-L tio'nal resistance to theturther compression of said mechanism. we 1 W 7 Another objectof the invention is the pro.-

vision of a shock absorbing mechanism that is cheap to manufacture, easily assembled, vsimple in construction, efiicient in operation, composed of few movingpartsandthat is not likely to become broken or get out ct order. l

, Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the follow ing description taken in connection'with the accompanying drawings, in which I Y Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a'railway car truck shown more or less dia};rammatically with the invention in position'thereon;

Fig. 21s a vertical section ofone of tliecar supporting units; a I r Y Fig. 3 is a similar view, but taken rig-ht angles to that shown inFig. 2 T

Fig; 4; is a section on line tof Fig.2;

' Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the spring seat taken on the line '5. 5 of Fig. 4;

r Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the thrust member, with *parts in section;

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of oneof the vWe ge mcmberaand I Fig. 8 is a perspective-view of the support ingplate. r

I For the purpose of illustlatim oneembodiment otthe invention, whichsis by way of example only, thesaine is shown as appliedto a railway truck for supporting a railway car body.

In the construction of railway cars it is the common practice to support'the body from thetrucks by groups of spiral springs the combined capacity of which is designed to be greater than the designated load capacity of the car. f a v It has. been found byv experience that the car body,.especially when loaded toits capacity, .will sometimes vibrate vertically due to the irregularitiesin the road bed or the eccentricity of thewheel tread and the like, thus causing the coils of the springsto close or go, solid. .When the coils ofthe supporting springs closethe springs become solid columns that transmit the shocks directly to the truck frames with the result. that often the frames are broken or at least seriously lnjured. Furthermore, undue vertlcal v i-.

bration of the car often causes the truck or trucks to jump the tracks. a

The presentinvention seeks to eliminate thesedifliculties by providing a combined resilient support and shock absorber for yieldingly supporting the car body on the trucks I and for absorbing the shocks and preventing undue vibration of the car body during the movement of thecar.

Referring now to the drawings in which similarreference characters are employed to. designate the same parts throughout the de.'-: scription, the reference character 10 designatessgenerally, a car truck comprising the side frame 11, thetruck bolster 12 and the supporting wheels 13, all of which may beef the usual or any well known construction;

- In the conventional form of railway trucks the bolster 12 is supported'from the truck by means of spiral springs interposed between said bolster and the spring plank'l t. The

present invention comprises a supporting or resil ent shock absorbing un1t designated generally by the reference character 9 which is adapted to be substituted for one of these springs. In practice a unit 9 may be substituted for each of the spiralsprings that support thebolster; .12 at each side of the truck. *"lhe supporting unit comprises a lower supporting plate '15and an upper supporting plate 16 betweenwhich is mounted the resil es ear strpert nemeans 17 pr sin the outer coil spring 18and the inner coil spring 4 19 of the usual or any well known constructio supporting plate 16. The bore porting plates.

' In order to prevent undue vibration of the loadedcar and to prevent injury to the truck frame when the coils of the spring close or go solid under thevibration of-the loaded car,

suitable shock absorbing means are-inserted between these springs-and one of the supthereof. 1 The projections23 and 24 are provided on their inner sides with incline d surfaces 25 and 26 which are adapted to engage the inclined faces 27 and 28 of the wedge members or blocks 29 and 31 respectively.

-The wedge blocks 29 and 31 are provided on their inner surfaces with inclined faces saanaes which are adapted to-engage corresponding inclined faces34 and 35 of the thrust member 36. The thrust member 36 is provided with a stem 37 extending upwardly therefrom and axially within the spring 19.

In order to limit the upward movement of the thrust member, the lower supporting.

plate 15 is provided with a pair of upwardly extending projections "or arms 38 and 39 which are adapted to engage between lugs41 g and 42 at each endof the thrust member 36.

The upper ends of the projections 38 and 39 are provided with inwardly extending flanges 43 and 44 for engaging the rabbeted shoulders 45 and 46 on'the ends of the thrust member for limiting the. upward movement. of said member.

' Suitable means are provided for holding the parts in assembled relation with the springs'18 and 19 under a slight-amount of initial compression. As shown, the stem or projection 37 is provided with an axial bore 47 for receiving the freecend. of a bolt- 48 which extends downward through the'upper 47 is counterbored as at 49 'for'receiving the nut 51. Access is had to said 'nut'through an opening 52 in the lower supporting plate 15 in, axial alinement with thebore 47. The stem 37 of the thrust member 36 is tial spring movement before the top supporting plate or bolster supporting plate comes into'contact with the thrust member 36,-thereby permitting a limited movement of the upper supporting plate 16 before it comes into contact with the stem 37.

' In the operation of. the device theparts are so constructedthat the springs alone will support the load but when undue vibration or vertical movement of the'loa'd "occurs the plate '16 will come. into contact with the up- As shown on the drawing, shock'absorbmg or friction members are 1n- 7 normally spaced from the plate 16 so that there will be an iniper end of the stem and forcethe same downward, thereby forcing the wedge blocks 31 and the corresponding inclined faces,of

the spring -;seat 21 and thrust member 36. There is also considerable friction developed between the bottom faces of the wedge blocks 29 and 31 and the lower supporting plate 15. The combined frictional resistance between thesesur-faces willdampen or absorb the shocks incident to the vertical vibration of the car body during the movement of the car. The parts are so constructed that this resistance issufiicient under even abnormal shocks to prevent the entire closing of the coils during the movement of the car.

As shown on'the drawings, the inner faces of'the wedge'blocks 29 and 31, that is, the thrust member engaging faces, are arranged at a different angle fromthatof the other faces thereof. The angle formed by the outer faces 27 and'28 may bejvaried as necessary or desirable. By makingfthese faces less acute than as shownthe capacity 'ofthe unit is increasedand viceversa, because the more acutethe-angleformed-by these outer faces with the axis of the gear, the greater will be the resistance between these faces and the inclined faces 25 and 26 of the spring seat 36.

In the form of the device disclosed, the inner faces of the wedge blocks form an angle with the axis of the unit that is more acute than that formed by the outer faces thereof, whereby the wedging action is smooth and efficient and the capacity suflicient for the sizes of the springs. By arranging the outer faces of the blocks at a less acute angle to the axis of the unit than the inner faces thereof, the upward movement of the spring seat will be'less than the downward movement of the thrust member during the operation ofthe device, thereby reducing to a minimum the tendency to close the spring from below.- Furthermore, it is desirable thatthe force exerted inward by the wedge block tending to elevate the thrust member shall be reduced as much as practicable in orderthat the upward thrust 9n the thrustmember 36, when it is not in engagement with theuppersupporting plate 16, shall be reduced to a minimum. By making the angle ofthe outer faces of the wedge blocks more nearly at right angles to the axis of the gear, this function is accomplished.

Furthermore, by arranging the'outcr faces of the wedging blocks .at a more nearly right angle to the axist'of' the unit, while it decreases the capacity'ofthe unit, it will take up the wear between the friction Surfaces with a minimum elongation ofthe' With this arrangement a constant springs. ward movement bf said thrust member, and distance means engaging said seat and plate for hold- I between the thrust block and-base member or ing said spring under initial compression.

lower supporting plate is maintained during the inoperation of the unit.

In assembling the device one of the flanges 43 or 44 of the projections 38, 39 may be and preferably is bent to position after the thrust member 36 isplaced in position in the unit.

The dimensions of the unit may be, and preferably are such that when the parts are assembled it may be substituted for the conventional springs in railway trucks and the like without making changes in the construe tion of those structures.

I claim as my invention: 7

1. A bolster supporting unit comprising a helical spring, spring seatsbetween which the spring reacts, one of the seats being centrally apertured and having forwardly and outwardly inclined wedge faces, a thrust member housed within the last-named seat and having forwardly and inwardly inclined wedge faces, and a stem projecting through.

the aperture of such seat and terminating short of'the other seat, and wedge blocks interposed between and cooperating with the wedge faces of the-spring seat and the thrust member. 7

2. A combined resilient and shock absorb- I ing unit comprising a base member, double faced wedge blocks seated upon said member, a thrust member having inclined faces for engaging the inner faces of said wedge blocks, a spring seat having inclined faces for engaging the outer faces of said Wedge blocks, the outer faces of said blocks being arranged at a less acute angle to the axis of the unit than the inner faces thereof, said thrust member being provided with a stem engaging the seat, and a spring surrounding and normally extending beyond said stem.

3. A combined resilient and shock absorbmember, a spring seat having inclined friction surfaces, a thrust member having'wedging faces, a plurality of wedge blocks each having wedging facesarranged "at different angles for engaging said surfaces and faces, said thrust member having an upwardly ex tending stem, an upper supporting plate, a

I coil spring on said stem and engaging said plate and seat, means for limiting the up- CHARLES J. NASH. 

